Court Jester: The Titan's Toughest Challenge Yet!
by roboninja565
Summary: What if The Joker had an apprentice, like his very own Robin? And what if that protege was sent to Jump City to wreak havoc, and had a plan against a certain Boy Wonder? Read and be shocked as the Titan's face their most nefarious foe. Can Robin fight his way through Jester's Fun-house of horrors and save the day-and his friends? Only time will tell what will happen.
1. Court Jester

Court Jester

After three rides in the cargo area of a plane, two stowaways underneath a car and a mile walk, he was finally there. Jump City, where he would prove his worth to his mentor by defeating Robin and the Teen Titans. Court Jester looked up at Titans Tower, the magnificent building glistening in the sunlight.

"Gee, wonder who lives there."

He said to no one in particular.

"What does the T stand for, I wonder? Tall dark and handsome? Tattletale? The people about to spend the rest of their short life in agonizing pain? Who knows, I guess I'll ask 'em when I get the chance." He laughs maniacally.

The Teen Titans are calmly enjoying a day with no crime, a rare occurrence. Beast Boy and Cyborg are playing video games, Robin is sitting on the couch with his arm around Starfire. Raven sits in the corner, reading. Little do they know that they are being watched, watched by the very security cameras they installed to be safe. Court Jester sits at a computer desktop, behind him the dead bodies of the security guards and technology supervisors of Glamco security systems, their mouths carved into the maniacal smile that plagued all that fall victim to the knife of Court Jester. He hacked into the frequency of Titan Towers cameras, and was carefully watching them. His eyes fall on Starfire, the red-headed alien exchanging passionate kisses with Robin periodically.

"So, this is who you care about? This is your family? Not bad, not bad. Now I must test your abilities."

He says once again to no one in particular. He looks at the rewired control panel and finds the one that he labeled 'Help'. He pushed it, and he knew that hundreds of miles away, in Gotham city, a phone was ringing.

The Joker sits on his throne in Gotham, the landline phone at his desk ringing.

"Oh, Harley dear! Bring me the phone, sugar pop."

"Anything for you, Mr. J!" She cartwheels to the phone, and hands it to the Joker.

"Good girl. Now go, back to your duties!" Harlequin pouts, but returns to where she was at. A man is gagged and tied to a chair. She drags him into a room as she utters the last words he would hear as a sane man.

"Lookie here, no one screws Mr. J except me, so now you're gonna get what's coming to you." A muffled scream is heard before she closes the door. The Joker answers the phone.

"Hello, this is Dominos pizza, what can I get ya, hehe. How are things going? I take it you made it there all right? Good good. What's that, MY help? Well I'm flattered you came to me, haha! What? 500, really? Why would you need that many-Oh, clever boy, I've taught you well! Oh, and I'm sending a care package to you with them. I'm sure you'll enjoy it's contents, as well as the extra prisoners I'm sending you. Well, good luck ma boy! Make me proud, or else. Only kidding, hahaha! Or am I?" The Joker hangs up and calls his contacts at blackgate prison.

"Hello, I'd like to make a transfer. Of course it's me, you idiot. Now, I want 500 of your nastiest, meanest, and most brutal transferred to Jump City correctional facility, in Jump City, California, as well as the 50 hottest female prisoners you got in your Juvenile facility. Oh and, uh, send a package with them."

A siren blares throughout Titans Tower.

"Titans, trouble!" Robin bellows to his teammates. They move out to the source of the distress-Jump City Correctional Facility. As they rushed out to solve the problem, Court Jester watched them from his lair, laughing hysterically at the distress call he triggered on purpose, 30 minutes after the actual break-out. He gets up from his chair and walks out on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. 500 of jokers goons stood, rowdy and loud. The other prisoners Joker sent him were off to the side, meant to be his servants, and do anything he wanted. Anything at all.

"Attention!" He shouted.

"Now, many of you know the self-named Clown Prince of Crime and all around great guy known as the Joker. Well, I guess you could call me his apprentice. And I'm here on a very important mission-to eliminate the Teen Titans. And more specifically, Robin. Now, you have been moved here by my mentor to assist me with that goal, and I expect you all to treat me with the same respect you give him. Or else."

"Or else what, you stupid kid!" A protestor in the back shouts. Jester holds up his hand to silence him, then throws his knife. It sails the 30 yards across the courtyard and hits him right between the eyes.

"Anyone else feel like protesting? No? That's what I thought. Now, please proceed to your left to receive your clown makeup from the lovely young ladies down there. Wouldn't want you confused with the everyday urban things, now would we? Oh and, keep your hands off the goods, boys. They're all mine." He turns and goes back into his lair. A few minutes later, two thugs carry a colorful present box into the room.

"Uh, sir, we had orders to deliver this to you."

"That's fine just put it there. And please, call me Jester."

He walks over once the thugs leave and examines the contents of the box. The first thing in there is a couple copies of Playboy magazine, with all of the models wearing a penned-in maniacal smile. There is a note attached.

"For those lonely nights. Even prettied em up just how you like em. Oh, and feel free to use those extra surprises I sent you." Jester smiled. Joker sure knew him. He set them aside and dug deeper. Next was a few canisters of Joker Toxin and Scarecrow Fear Gas, with an attached note: "Use with discretion. Aww, hell. Use it however the fuck you want." He removed those and placed them beside him. Underneath those were about 200 joker teeth, chattering blabbermouths that moved on their own, with attached note: "Make some kind of use with them. I can't do shit with them." Beneath that, a carefully folded suit, identical to the Jokers except red and blue instead of purple and green, complete with acid spitting lapel flower, with attached note: "Gotta look your best for when you destroy a city, just like I taught you. Should make you look tip top."

And below that, more deadly party-gag themed weapons. He decided to try on the suit.

"Hey, numbers 15 and 47!" He called to two girls who were unoccupied.

"Come help me change." He grinned even wider than normal as the girls gulped.

The Teen Titans were standing around the empty prison, looking bored. They had shown up and the place had been swarming with police, 500 prisoners gone. Robin was chatting with the chief of police.

"How dangerous are the escaped convicts?"

"Well, we don't know. They just transferred here from Blackgate."

"Wait, isn't Blackgate in Gotham?"

"Yeah. Fire destroyed their cells. They were moved here cause of some paperwork mix-up."

Robin tried to piece it together, but couldn't.

"Did you find anything left behind? Anything that might help us?"

"Well, just this." The police chief holds up a disk with the message: "To Bat-brat. Or Bird-brain, whichever you hate the most."

"I'm assuming whoever did this is after you."

"Yeah. I think they are." He took the disk from the chief. Bat-brat? Only one person called him that, but no, he was all the way in Gotham, fighting Bruce. There's no way he could be here.

"Titans, back to the tower. I need to think this through."


	2. Kidnapped

Back at Titan Tower, they popped in the disk left at the crime scene. Little did they know, they were giving Jester more access to the Tower than they could've imagined, as the hacked disk spread the virus that allowed Jester to control their tower entirely. The TV flickered, turned staticky, and then displayed a teenage boy with a painted white face, large painted green smile, black, black eyes, and scarlet red hair.

"Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?" He cleared his throat and began talking.

"Hello, my friendly neighborhood hero team! I'm the new kid on the block, and I just thought I'd let you know that you are all about to have the greatest case you've ever dealt with. Yes, you've bested Slade, banished Trigone back to hell, killed Brother Blood, defeated the Brotherhood of evil, and now, for your final test, can you bring down, drum roll please, COURT JESTER!" He threw his hands up and his head back at the shout of his name. The Titans stare at him, speechless.

"What, have I got something stuck in my teeth? Is my makeup smudged?! Ah! Is my suit creased? Oh, not the suit!"

"Yeah. We've never heard of you before." Raven puts it simply.

"Oh, Raven. When I'm finished with you, you're going to wish you'd never heard of me. But Robin, you seem to know who I am, don't you?" His fellow titans stare at Robin, who has his fists clenched.

"You look just like him, but younger. You talk like him too. I'd heard rumors, but I didn't think they were true."

"Congrats! You truly are the Boy Wonder! How'd ya do that? For you unawares out there, I'm talking to you Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, I am the apprentice, sidekick, or whatever you want to call it to the nefarious Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime."

"What do you want? Why are you here? Who are you working with?"

"Always with the questions, Robin. But, since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you one question. Go ahead, ask away, but I'll only answer one!"

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? Only to see your little entourage there burning in flames, your precious city leveled as its people die, all their meaningless lives brought to a horrifying conclusion, while you stand by and watch, and beg me to kill you. Was that the answer you wanted?" He'd obviously hit a nerve. Robin looked like he was about to faint.

"Didn't think so." Jester logged off, and the DVD player spit out the disk. It wasn't needed anymore.

Robins friends stood around him as he sat at the couch, unmoving. They'd all heard about the Joker and his tangles with Robin's mentor, Batman. Now the Joker had his own protege, here to mess with Robin like the Joker has to Batman for years?

"Are you okay, boyfriend Robin?" Starfire drifts over and sits next to him. He looks at her and smiles, then puts his arm around him.

"I'm just fine. Don't worry Star. It's just, every time we faced him, it was always we, you know? I don't know if I can do this without him."

"C'mon, were more than a match for that little creep." Cyborg waves him off.

"You don't understand! Me and Batman, working together only barely managed to bring down Joker every time. And now I'm facing this guy, whose supposed to be just like Joker, by myself!"

"But Robin, you most certainly are not by yourself. We are here for you." Starfire gestures to the friends that surround him.

"Maybe, we can beat him. Together." The Titans come together in a group hug.

"Maybe, we can beat him. Together."

Jester watches the titans hug through his cameras.

"Oh, it's so cute how they think they stand a chance." Then he gets a video call. He answers it and the Joker is staring him in the face.

"How goes the bird hunt, ma boy?"

"It's going great! I delivered my warning, and now to set a trap. I've got the perfect bait."

"Really? Who?! No wait, I want it to be a surprise! Oh, and did you get my package?"

"Yeah, thanks! I've got some great ideas for those obnoxious little Joker teeth. And I appreciate the extra prisoners you sent me."

"Haha, I knew you'd love them sonny-boy. Are you enjoying yourself?"

Jester puts his feet up on his desk.

"Definitely. Now I see why you run this kinda gig. It's good to be in charge."

"Damn right it is! Now, good luck, and remember what I taught you."

In sync, they recite 'The three key elements to a good evil scheme'

"Plan ahead! Don't rush things! No mercy!"

"Marvelous! Toodles." Joker signs off. Jester lets out a content sigh. It was good to be in charge.

"And for my next trick, I shall trap the Boy Wonder like a chicken in its coop!" He calls over the loudspeaker to the mass of prisoners at his disposal.

"Attention. Will ten of you buffoons who don't mind getting a good solid beating from the Teen Titans please come to my office. I've got a job for you."

It's been three weeks since the Titans received the frightening message from Court Jester, and tensions are dying down. Then one day, a trouble alarm from the bank. Then another, at the mint. And another, at the park. Five separate alarms, at five separate locations.

"Well, looks like we'll have to split up. Everyone choose a location and go there. Titans, Go!" The Teen Titans rush out to protect their city.

Starfire flies to her alarm, where two thugs are beating the crap out of a young woman.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to refrain from beating the citizens of Jump City to a pulp." The thugs stop kicking the woman, and look up at Starfire.

"Oh please, we are but two lost souls, searching for retribution. We only do this way of life to support ourselves." Starfire floats down to ground level.

"Perhaps if you helped people with your skills in place of hurting them, you shall receive compensation."

Maybe if Starfire hadn't been so busy trying to turn the thugs to the side of good. Maybe if she hadn't been alone. Maybe she would have seen the 'woman' they were beating up pull a small gun out of 'her' purse and shoot Starfire in the leg with a dart. The last thing she saw was the two thugs high-fiving the one in the wig.

When Starfire awoke, she was within a glass sphere atop a mechanical pedestal. She blasted it with a burst of green light. It simply bounces off and hits her in the stomach.

"Having a spot of trouble, my dear?" Starfire gets up to see a boy dressed in a red and blue suit, with white and green makeup.

"You! You shall release me if you are aware of what is good for you!"

"Oh, but my darling Starfire. You are what's good for me."

He laughs.

"My friends will come for me, and then you will receive the ass-kicking!"

"Oh, your friends? Lets see how they're doing."

He turns to his video screen and tunes into Titan Tower

The Titans regroup at the tower.

"Hey, has anyone seen Starfire?" Robin looks around.

"No, I haven't seen her since we split up."

Beast boy morphs to a blood hound to try and pick up her scent. At that moment, the TV turned itself on and Court Jester's face lit up the screen.

"Missing something, my delirious Teen Titans?"

"What have you done with Starfire? Where is she?!"

"Don't get your tights in a twist, she's right here." He turns the camera towards Starfire.

"Robin! Save me!"

"Starfire! I swear if you've done anything to her, I'll fucking kill you!"

"One: I highly doubt that. Two: I haven't done anything. Yet."

"What are you planning?"

"You want her? Come and get her." He smirks at the camera and switches it off.

"Now you will receive the ass-kicking! My friends will find me!"

"Really? How will they do that?"

"They can lock on to my communicator! I will call them now!" She reaches for the amulet on her choker, which contained the hidden communicator, only to find that it is gone.

"My communicator! What have you done with it?"

"What, you mean this thing?" He tosses it up and down in his hands.

"Let's see if we can send those friends of yours on a wild goose chase."


	3. So Close

"Cyborg, lock on to Starfire's communicator."

Cyborg sits at the Titans computer, typing away.

"Got it. Apparently, her signal is coming from these coordinates." He brings up a map of the city and triangulates a dot.

"Well, that's where we'll go. Titans, move out!"

Court Jester watches them chased after Starfires communicator. He laughed as they headed straight into his trap.

"Well, it looks like your friends are headed right where I want them." He powered down his video screen. He turned to Starfire, who he had moved out of her clunky storage device and into power draining cuffs.

"Why am I unable to blast you? What have you done to me?"

"I just did my homework. I designed those cuffs to drain your Tamaranian abilities. You're no stronger than a human as long as you're wearing those."

He walks around Starfire, examining her.

"Well, now I see why Robin fell for you. You are quite the knockout." He grabs her hair and sniffs it.

"Normally, under the circumstances, you'd be choking on happy gas by now. However, I don't want that any more than you do. So I think we can come to an agreement." He laughs hysterically.

"Get her into a servants outfit." He waves to a thug.

"Oh and boys, hands off the goods. I get first dibs." He lets out another maniacal chuckle. A single tear runs down Starfire's face as she is carried away.

Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy arrive at Starfire's coordinates. It's an old abandoned junkyard.

"Everybody spread out! Find Starfire!" When they search their individual zones, Robin sees something out of the corner of his eye. Barely a flicker, but he saw what it was. The silhouette of a man atop a crane. Robin grapples up to the top. A crudely built platform was perched precariously at the highest point on the crane. Robin carefully made his way across the crane arm to the end. When he reached the platform, he discovered Court Jester leaning on a strange shaped-lump. As he got closer, he noticed that the lump was Starfire.

"It's over, Jester."

"Oh, but my delirious little birdie. It's only just begun. I'll bet it really rustles your jimmies to see your little girlfriend here being used as nothing more than a support for me."

"Robin, please rescue me!"

"Quiet you bitch!" He slaps her across the face. Hard.

"You leave her alone!" He is about to charge at Jester when he raises a finger and waves it at Robin.

"Uh, uh, uh. Not that fast." Five burly Blackgate prisoners rush from behind him and engage Robin, surrounding him.

"What's that old saying, about killing one bird with five stone-skulled idiots? Something like that." He laughs.

"Get him, boys." The five thugs attack Robin, who brings out his Bo staff. He knocks out two thugs before one of them grabs his staff and throws it over the edge. Robin swiftly knocks him out with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head.

"Come on boys, I know you can do it! You'd better do it, or else." They dive for Robin at the same time, who leaps up and they crash into each other, knocking each other unconscious. Jester grabs his head in his hands.

"Note to self, find better henchmen." He pushes a button and the platforms fall, leaving the thugs to fall to their deaths. He looks at Robin and walks to the very end of the crane.

"Well, seeing as how I'm feeling generous, I'll give you this one for free. Knock me off, I dare you, pull the plug, end the madness right now, stop me once and for all!" He throws his hands up in the air. Robin throws a Birdarang, and it passes right through his head. The hologram turns off, and Robin is left standing on a crane arm by himself. He walks to the end of the arm where Jester was standing, and finds Starfire's communicator lying there. A note is attached: Joke's on you! He kneels atop the crane, holding Starfire's communicator in his hand.

They return to Titan Tower, and Robin begins pacing back and forth again.

"Who is this guy? Why is he doing this to Robin? It's like Slade all over again!" Beast Boy says.

"I've got nothing on Starfire's communicator. I found finger prints, but they don't match anything in the databases." Cyborg is furiously typing away at his computer.

The television flickers on again.

"Oh, Robin you were so close! I can't even imagine what it felt like!" Court Jester laughs.

"Why? Why are you doing this to us? To me?!"

"It's quite simple really. Because I can. Because why shouldn't I?"

"I'll find you and when I do I'll fucking kill you!"

"I doubt that you will do either of those things."

"Wanna bet?"

"Not really. I don't like to leave things to chance. Don't you see? You don't stand a chance! I'll always be 1, 5, 7 steps ahead of you! And right when you think you've caught up, that's when I'll be right behind you! And no matter what you do, no matter what you say or what you think you know, there is nothing you can do to stop me. You'll never be anywhere or do anything unless it's exactly the way I want it to be." He drags Starfire into the frame. She is wearing a harlequin outfit, like the rest of the servant girls.

"You really do have excellent taste in women, Robin." He grabs her hair and rubs his face with it.

"Mmmmm, soft. Bwahahaha!" Starfire whimpers as he licks the side of her face.

"Oh, I do not like this, not in the least! Robin, please take me away from this awful person." He slaps Starfire.

"This is my show, and I don't recall seeing your name in the script, Bitch!" He turns back to the Titans.

"Anyways, I was just calling to let you know that this night is going to be the most exhausting you've ever had. I'm inviting a bunch of old friends to the party! And you're the guest of honor." He points at Robin.

"Toodles!" The TV turns off.

"Hey, has anyone seen Raven?" Beast Boy asked.


	4. Alone

"I think your friends have finally given up! Oh boo, I had so many fun things planned." Jester pouts and turns to Starfire.

"Robin will never give up! It is not within him to do such a thing!"

"Ugh, you annoy me with your stupid voice. Good thing I got you some company. Bring her in boys!" He waves to two thugs who are holding Raven. She is gagged to prevent her from uttering her chant.

"Well, at least we've got you a playmate, my dearest. Let's take off that gag, we don't need it. But, we can't have you using any of your nasty magic, now can we? Don't worry; I've got just the thing." He reaches into a box and pulls out cuffs similar to the ones Starfire is wearing. He snaps them onto Raven and rips off the gag.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She screams, and nothing happens.

"Huh?" She looks down at her hands and tries again.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Again, nothing has happened.

"When will you learn, I always do my homework! I designed those cuffs to cancel out the demon side of your DNA. Now, you're just a boring old human. Just like me, except I'm better." He laughs maniacally and tosses her into the cell with Starfire.

"Oh no! He has captured you as well, friend Raven! I fear that we will not be able to beat him! He is most clever, and he has at least three plans for every scenario."

"I'm scared too Starfire. I don't have any idea how he's canceling my powers!"

"Oh friend Raven, I think that I wish to participate in the hugging!"

"Yeah Starfire. I'm not the touchy feely type, but I think I could use a hug too. Starfire pulls her into her embrace. A single tear runs down Raven's face.

"I guess it's all up to the guys now."

A voice comes over the loud speaker.

"Now were talking! Alright; Raven, give her a kiss..." He starts to laugh and the speaker shuts off. They tear themselves apart and sit in opposite corners of the cell, waiting.

"Aw man, aw man, aw MAN! They got Raven, how she could have done something she's so strong how did she get captured! I'm freaking out man, freaking out!" Beast Boy paces frantically around the room, holding his head in distress. Robin is also stressing a lot, muttering to himself and wallowing in grief on the couch. Cyborg watches them and shakes his head. He grabs them by their collars and shakes them.

"Snap out of it!" He yells at them. He drops them and they pull themselves up, dizzy.

"But Cyborg, what are we supposed to do? How do we fight this?"

"Yeah, we're down two team members now. Down two friends..."

"But we're still together! We have to stay strong, for the girls."

"For the girls."

"For the girls." They all stand around, unsure of what to do next.

"I wonder what he'll do to them." Beast Boy thinks out loud.

"Not helping!" Robin yells.

"Well, I was just curious I mean he's obviously our age and the girls certainly are attractive and I just hope that he doesn't do anything too permanent..." He trails off, all of them knowing what he means.

"That won't happen. We will find them, and we will stop him."

Beast Boy nods his head at Robin.

"Of course. Now, we need a plan."

"He has to be tracking us somehow! He knows every move we're going to make before we make it. He has to have someway of watching us. Cyborg, can you search the Tower for any type of unidentified surveillance unit?"

Cyborg taps away.

"Sensors say its all clear. Save for the..."

"The what?"

"The new cameras we put in."

"What new cameras?"

"The new Glamco security cameras you had delivered to us and put all around the tower."

"I didn't approve of that!"

"Well, I think we've figured out how he's tracking us. But how does this help us?" Robin steps up to the computer and taps away at the keyboard. The satellite image focuses on a large building near the outskirts of town.

"The head quarters for Glamco security systems is right here in jump city. And people are calling in complaints of lame and violent jokes and constant laughing whenever they call for customer service."

"Sounds like Jester."

Robin looks down at Starfires communicator in his hand.

"We have to go."

"But what if that is just what Jester wants? What if this is all part of the plan too?"

"Then so what? It's the only lead we have, and I'm going. With or without you guys." He pushes past them and leaves.

Robin arrives at the doors to the Glamco security headquarters. The massive doors tower above him. As he steps towards them they open ominously.

"Come right in, Robin. We've all been waiting for you." He steps into a large empty courtyard.

"Welcome to hell! Well, at least my version. I'm sure Raven could tell you all about the real place." His laugh reverberates throughout the courtyard.

"Here, I control things. When I say fight, you fight. And when I decide to crush you, you go down quietly."

"You wish you could control me!"

"Oh, but you have no idea." Robin sees movement above him, and looks up to see Court Jester step out onto a balcony.

"Hello." Robin throws a Birdarang, enraged. It stops not four feet from him.

"I borrowed some technology from my good friend Control Freak. And then I made it better. Your projectile weapons have no effect on my force field."

"Maybe his don't, but mine do!" Cyborg bursts in from behind Robin and fires a sonic blast at Jester. Jester easily tilts his head to the side and avoids it.

"Ah, Cyborg. You're the easiest to take down." He pushes a button and Cyborg grabs his head.

"Ahhhh! An EMP cannon! It's messing up all my systems!"

"And that's only level 1!" Jester turns it all the way up.

"ahhhhhHHHHHHHHHH!" Cyborg screams louder, then goes limp and shuts down.

"Cyborg!" Robin rushes over to him and tries to shake him awake, to no avail.

"And, I do believe this is yours as well?"

Jester brings out Beast Boy, who is tied up tight to prevent him from morphing.

"Let my friends go!"

"I don't think so."

He presses a button and a large electro-magnet moves in from above and lifts Cyborg's limp body away. One of Jester's thugs carries away Beast Boy.

"Now it's just you and me. And the army of armed thugs at my disposal."

"You will pay for what you've done."

"Oh I'm sure I will. But not until I'm finished having fun with you."

He presses a button and about ten thugs, armed with wrenches and Jester's makeup, flood the room, surrounding Robin.

"Let the games begin." Court Jester sits back and props his feet up while he watches his thugs approach Robin.

**AN: I'm currently working on chapter 5 of this story, and I have some great ideas. However, I am open to suggestions. What would you like to see from this story? Who should Robin have to fight? Should the other Titans escape and help him? Should Court Jester win, and wipe out the titans once and for all? All suggestions and feedback are greatly appreciated.**


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